Micah Clarke

This exciting historical romance by the creator of Sherlock Holmes unfolds during the ill-fated Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, in which Protestant dissenters attempted to overthrow their Catholic monarch. Young Micah Clarke ventures off to join the rebels, falling in with a veteran soldier of fortune, and the pair weather a harrowing series of battles, recounted by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his customary wit and élan. Micah Clarke offers a vivid portrait of the political situation in England during the rebellion, when countrymen took to arms against one another. The novel traces the youthful hero's eventful path across southern England to join Monmouth's army, marked by an encounter with smugglers, imprisonment in a dungeon, and pursuit by a pack of savage hounds. The final struggle pits the King's highly disciplined troops against Monmouth's ragged peasant forces, poor in weapons and training but stoutly armed with their religious faith. In addition to his richly evoked atmosphere of 17th-century life, finely drawn characters, and stirring battle scenes, Doyle presents thoughtful and respectful views of both sides of the conflict and makes an earnest case for religious tolerance.